Undercutter.



J. R. ANDRUS.

UNDERCUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14. 1914.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

JAMES B. ANDRUS, OF WOODLAND, WASHINGTON.

UNDERCUTTER.

L22Lil28.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 191W.

Application filed. September 14, 1914. Serial No. 861,578.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES R. ANDRUs, a citizen of the United States,residing in the town of Woodland, Cowlitz county, and State ofWashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inUndercutters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to undercutters for use in sawing logs, and moreparticularly to a device adapted to be attached to a log for the purposeof supporting a saw while sawing the log from the under side. Among thesalient objects of my invention are,-to provide a small portable devicewhich can be driven into a log and anchored in such a way that it willbe impossible for it to get loose or work out of the log during theoperation of the saw; to provide a device of the character referred tohaving a roller bearing member upon which the saw runs which can bequickly and conveniently adjusted to different positions withoutremoving the saw therefrom and which automatically locks againstdownward movement under the weight of the saw thereupon; and, ingeneral, to provide a device of the character referred to which issimple, efficient and economical.

In order that others may fully understand my invention, I have shown inthe accom panying sheet of drawings one practical embodiment thereofwhich I will now describe. In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the invention, showing thelog and the saw in light broken lines; and

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device, showing the saw in light brokenlines.

My invention as here illustrated comprises a body 1, having a flat,sharp, upwardly curved prong, or toe, 2, adapted to be driven into thelog, shown in dotted lines, and a heel piece 3, adapted to engage thelog at a point below the prong 2, substantially in the manner indicated.

Pivotally attached to the body 1 is a crank member 4, provided at itsattached end, at opposite sides of the body, with ratchet wheels, as 5and 6, secured to said crank member and turning therewith. Mounted uponthe body 1 is a pawl 7 normally held in engagement with the ratchetwheel 5 by means of a spring 8. The portion of the crank 4 which passesthrough the ratchet wheels 5 and 6 and the body 1 is made square, asindicated by dotted lines at 4, while the extreme upper end portlonthereof is reduced in size and threaded to receive a thumb nut 9, thusmaking it possible to regulate the frictional contact between theratchet wheels and the body 1.

At the lower end of said crank 4 is a hearing member 10, having a woodenmiddle portion 10, to make it lighter, and having a ball-bearingconnection at 10 upon the crank member 4. The rim of the bearing member10 is preferably of steel and is provided with a series ofcircumferentially extendin grooves, adapted to receive the back edge ofa saw, shown in light broken lines and designated S.

The crank 4 and the bearing member 10, it will be noted, are adjustableto various positions by simply moving them by hand in one direction. thepawl 7, however, engages with the ratchet wheel 5 in such a way as toprevent said crank and bearing member from moving back in the oppositedirection.

By providing two ratchet wheels, as 5 and 6, at opposite sides of thebody 1, it is possible to readily'transfer the crank 4 and its bearingmember 10 to the opposite side of the body, which may be foundnecessary, or at least convenient, in some cases.

The operation of the device may be briefly described as follows:

The body of the device, of course, is made of steel or other suitablemetal, and adapted to be driven into the log in the manner indicated.The prong 2 is made sharp and flat and curved upwardly, substantially asindicated. hen driven into the log until the heel 3 engages the log, asindicated, it will be seen that any downward weight upon the body willhave a tendency to increase the upward, frictional holding engagement ofthe curved prong with the log into which it is driven, thus making itimpossible to pull the prong out of the log by forcing the body 1downwardly at its outer end. If the prong were straight, or curved inthe opposite direction, it would be easily pulled out and would workloose under the weight and operation of the saw. The crank 4 is shown inits downmost position in light broken lines. This is the position itwould usually occupy in starting the saw into the underside of a log. Asthe cut is made and the saw works up into the log, the crank 4 and thebearing 10 can be raised, as indicated in the solid line position, bysimply lifting it by hand, and

the embodiment of the invention here shown for purposes of illustrationwithout depart ing from the spirit thereof, and I do not,

therefore limit the invention to the particular form shown, except as Imay be limited by the hereto appended claims.

I claim,-

1. An undercutter of the character described comprising a body having anupwardly curved prong adapted to be driven into a log and a heel portionadapted to engage the log at a point below said prong, anda bearingdevice adjustably mounted on said body for supporting a saw.

2. An undercutter of the character referred to comprising a body havingan upwardly curved prong adapted to be driven into a log and a heeladapted to engage the log at a point below said prong, and a crankmember adjustably secured to said body and provided with a bearingelement adapted to support a saw during its operation.

3. An undercutter of the character shown and described, comprising incombination, an integral body having a flat, upwardly curved prongadapted to be driven into a log, and an off-set heel portion adapted toengage the outside of the log at a point below said prong, whereby anydownward Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the strain on the outer end of said device tends to wedgesaid prong in said log and increase its friction hold therein, a sawsupporting member pivotally supported 011 said device.

4. An undercutter of the character described comprising a body having anintegral, flat, sharp, upwardly curved prong adapted to be driven into alog and an integral heel portion at a space from said prong adapted toengage the log at a point below said prong, and a saw supporting membermounted on the body.

5. A device of the character described comprising a body member split atone end and having one part, formed into a flat, upwardly curved prongadapted to be driven into a log, and the other part extended downwardlyand adapted to engage the log at a point below, and a saw supportingmember mounted on the body.

6. An undercutter comprising an upwardly curved prong adapted to bedriven into a log, with a heel portion formed integrally therewith andadapted to engage the outside of the log as a brace, said prong beingadapted to pull out easily by upward strain on its outer under end, butto resist pressure on its upper outer end, and an adjustable crank armwith roller supporting member for the saw, substantially as shown anddescribed.

Signed at Portland, Multnomah county, Oregon, this 9th day of September,1914.

JAMES R. ANDRUS.

In presence of- R. B. FRENCH, IV. E. KEELER.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

